Reports associating cholesterol-lowering statins with memory loss lead to FDA review

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

Five years ago, at age 49, Greg Walter felt uncharacteristically forgetful and confused.

-----

He was not, as he initially feared, in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. The culprit turned out to be Lipitor, the cholesterol-lowering statin he was taking to prevent heart disease.

-----

"I think cognitive problems are pretty rare" with statins, said Flourtown cardiologist David Becker, who took Walter off Lipitor. "But I don't think it's well-known among cardiologists or doctors in general."

That may be changing. Cognitive impairment associated with statins has been the subject of recent scientific papers, books, websites, and an untold number of reports - including Walter's - to MedWatch, the Food and Drug Administration's adverse-event reporting program.



Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110415_Reports_associating_cholesterol-lowering_statins_with_memory_loss_lead_to_FDA_review.html

[MineralMan]

1. Live long and suffer, I guess...

Very interesting.

[madmax]

5. Awe, MM

It doesn't have to be that way. First thing we do is question the hell out of our doctors and ultimately the responsiblity is ours. They have many patients, we have one. One VERY import one. ;)

[MineralMan]

10. I won't take them. It's hereditary in my family.

My father had serious muscle loss from it. I just don't do it. Both of my parents have high cholesterol levels, and are 87 this year and still very active. My baseline ECG was just fine this year a couple of months ago at 65.

[ladywnch]

25. I'm with you. they've tried to coerce me into them.

like with your family, on my mother's side all the women have and high cholesterol and grandma just had her 96th birthday and just moved into assisted living last month. Dad (84) had cholesterol of like 165. He ended up with quadruple bypass several years ago.

I am not convinced that high cholesterol alone is the culprit and until they can either prove that it is or find out what the other factors are, I won't go on them. Oh yeah, and Dad has SEVERE memory loss and doctors say it is not Alzheimer's. Grandma is still sharp as a tack for the most part.

so let's review: high cholesterol- good hearts and memories, low cholesterol- quadruple bypass and very poor memory (both short and long term).

I know this isn't even close to clinical analysis but....... I'm just sayin.....maybe not all high cholesterol is a bad thing. :shrug:

[bettyellen]

57. actually high cholesterol is very common in AZ patients and many

researchers believe keeping it low helps slow down the progression.

[ladywnch]

58. and yet the opposite appears to be true in my family.

low cholesterol - poor memory and heart problems (neurologist claims it is not AZ)

high cholesterol - healthy hearts, memories in great shape.

so again I say, there's got to be something else besides just cholesterol that creates problems.

just sayin

[bettyellen]

59. well yeah AZ has a few distinct genetic markers and is different than other dementias

and if you combine that with high cholesterol, it makes you more at risk. or so they were saying a few years ago.Sadly, they have a lot to learn about these diseases

[Hannah Bell]

74. one of the lesser known facts about cholesterol hidden in the one size fits all storyline:

there are lots of different cases, apparently genetic differences:

there are folks like you who have familial high cholesterol while having *less* heart disease than the general population.

there are another group of folks with familial high cholesterol who die young from heart problems.

there are folks with familially low cholesterol with high rates of heart disease & the reverse.

then there's the issue that rising cholesterol in old age may have a protective function re brain function, & that low cholesterol in the aged tends to precede death.

There are lots of odd things when you dig below the surface of the standard storyline:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/255/2/219.abstract?ijkey=50c6420bad2d428f41300e1d5426e5a8c382a1b8&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha

http://www.bmj.com/content/322/7293/1019.full?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&author1=Sijbrands&searchid=1047393751318_10583&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&fdate=1/1/2001&resourcetype=1,2,3,4,10

[Juche]

65. Sounds like my dad

Heart disease runs in my family. My grandpa had his first heart attack in his mid 40s (this was the 1960s). He had a 2nd and 3rd as he aged, but still lived to be 81.

My dad tried to be proactive and took a bunch of meds for his heart health. Probably 10 or more cholesterol, blood pressure, blood thinners, etc meds. He had a triple bypass at 59 anyway.

But he was on 4 classes of medications for cholesterol (as well as the aspirin, plavix, BP meds, etc). A statin, a bile sequestrant, a fibrate & niacin. Didn't seem to do him much good.

I don't know if we really know yet about what causes the problem.

[madmax]

38. I hear ya. I've just lately begun to realize

that Dr.s don't know eveything and the shit that gets approved by the FDA can leave you worse than before or kill you.

[madokie]

36. My wife went form dangerously high cholesterol numbers to well within the preferred range

from last year this time to this year the other day. She done it by watching what she ate, reading the labels, using creativity with meals. Mind you she didn't just starve herself either. The secret was setting a goal and sticking to what it took to get to that goal. The last thing she wanted to do was go on the meds for high cholesterol because of the bad rap the meds have plus she'd like to be around so we can enjoy our senior years together. Shes a nurse btw so she is up on the meds and what they do to people a lot better than the average joe does. She's 59 or will be in Nov. and I just turned 63 so we hope to have a good couple decades in front of us.

[madmax]

2. I knew it!!!

I take Simvistatin - Lipitor generic. I've been having a hellava time with short term memory loss. Thank you so much for posting this I'm going to take it with me to my GP on my next visit.

Thinking of taking COO2 instead. It's a cholesterol lowering enzyme. Doing some research and getting advice from another DU'er.

:bounce: I hate taking chemicals!!

[cyberpj]

11. COOO2? Qu'est-ce que c'est

Can you share a link? A search turned up nothing for me.

[madmax]

39. Sorry - here ya go.

Now I'll give you the correct name you'll find a lot of info through Google. It's COQ10 Duh, see my mind 'is' screwed up from statins. x(

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coenzyme_Q10

[cutlassmama]

45. yes. I've been taking this instead of Crestor now due to short term

memory less. Guess what? My memory has been better in the past few months.

[cyberpj]

49. and does it work on your cholesterol numbers? nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

61. It worked on Mr. d's cholesterol AND PSA numbers.

both were elevated, he has a doc that loves to write scripts ( and who has dozens of pharma sales reps sailing into the office every day, I have watched them on several occasions).
doc was pushing the statins, I argued against it.
Mr d took 100 mg. of CoQ10 every day, 6 mos later his blood work was 100% normal, doc says "keep on doing what ever it is that you are doing". That was a year ago, last labs also came back normal.PSA and cholesterol.

We both take the COQ10.
I had recent lab tests, all my numbers are in normal ranges.
Both of us are over 60 and taking blood pressure meds.


oh, Mr. d says his joints don't bother him as long as he takes he Omega 3 caps every day.

We DO eat low fat, non-processed food diets, btw.

[cyberpj]

50. OHhhhhhhhhhhh. Thanks. nt

[Juche]

64. That works for cholesterol?

I have never heard that. I know it is used for hypertension, heart failure, LDL-oxidation, etc. but I don't think it works for lowering LDLs or raising HDLs.

FWIW, if you don't like statins there are various other drugs or supplements you can try for cholesterol. But I don't think there is researching linking CoQ10 to improved cholesterol readings.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/understanding_cholesterol-lowering_medications/page3_em.htm#meds

[shanti]

13. me too

i was also prescribed simvistatin, but it was effecting my liver negatively, so i stopped it (with my dr.'s approval). cholesterol/heart attacks are genetic in the maternal side of my family. mom and sis also take cholesterol lowering meds. in actuality, my cholesterol wasn't really that high, but doc wanted it lower, so it was prescribed.

glad i saw this story and i'll look into the C002 that you mentioned too! :hi:

[madmax]

40. Thanks for the story. I gave you the wrong name it's

COQ10 duh. x(

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coenzyme_Q10

[InkAddict]

15. Red Yeast Rice is a natural statin

but be sure to research use and dosage - Here's a page w/lots of starting page articles and studies:

http://qualitycounts.com/fpcholestin.html

[Hannah Bell]

34. it has the same side effects.

[OwnedByFerrets]

63. Do you have research to back that up? Not being confrontational,

just want to read up on it.

[Hannah Bell]

67. The cholesterol-reducing effect of red yeast rice is due to the presence of

a substance that's chemically-identical to Lovastatin -- in fact, RYR was the original source that Lovastatin was isolated from.

red rice yeast contains a statin; ergo, if taken in quantities sufficient to lower cholesterol it will have the same range of side effects as statin drugs. If it doesn't contain enough statin, it won't have any significant cholesterol-lowering effect.

"In the late 1970s, researchers in the United States and Japan were isolating lovastatin from Aspergillus and monacolins from Monascus, respectively, the latter being the same yeast used to make red yeast rice but cultured under carefully controlled conditions. Chemical analysis soon showed that lovastatin and monacolin K are identical. The article "The origin of statins" summarizes how the two isolations, documentations and patent applications were just months apart.<2> Lovastatin became the patented, prescription drug Mevacor for Merck & Co. Red yeast rice went on to become a contentious, non-prescription dietary supplement in the United States and other countries.

Lovastatin and other prescription "statin" drugs inhibit cholesterol synthesis by blocking action of the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. As a consequence, circulating total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol are lowered. In a meta-analysis of 91 randomized clinical trial of ≥12 weeks duration, totaling 68,485 participants, LDL-cholesterol was lowered by 24-49% depending on the statin.<3> Different strains of Monascus yeast will produce different amounts of monacolins. The 'Went' strain of Monascus purpureus (purpureus = purple in Latin), when properly fermented and processed, will yield a dried red yeast rice powder that is approximately 0.4% monacolins, of which roughly half will be monacolin K (identical to lovastatin). Monacolin content of a red yeast rice product is described in a 2008 clinical trial report"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_yeast_rice

[Pathwalker]

17. My doctor prescribed Fish Oil tablets. They're OTC, cheaper,

and don't have the nasty side effects. Just started on them, so haven't had my blood tested yet to see how well they work.

[madmax]

41. I take them too and this

COQ10 is OTC also.

[madmom]

23. I too was taking simvistatin. I quit taking it because it made me VERY sick. I ended up in the

ER with terrible stomach pains and ended up fainting and throwing up. The pains started out feeling like gas cramps but got increasing worse to the point I told my hubby to take me to the ER. While I was on the exam table I fainted, more than once, and vomited several times even while I was out cold. Needless to say I do NOT take them anymore.:scared:

[arikara]

24. Do you mean CoQ10?

I've never heard of COO2 and can't really find anything googling it. I've heard it said that any doctor who prescribes a statin and doesn't also recommend CoQ10 should be charged with malpractice.

[madmax]

42. Yes, that's what I meant.

Sorry... I'm having to reply to a lot of posts over that one ;)

[get the red out]

28. My sister and I have both noticed short term memory problems

on Simvastatin. It troubles me but I have tried everything else to lower my cholesterol, nothing worked. I eat a healthy diet and have exercised daily for many years, still to no avail. Without the medication my cholesterol shoots up to close to 300 due to it running in my family. My Dad died after his third heart surgery and many years of heart disease this past summer.

I hope more information comes out on this, it wasn't but a year or two ago I was hearing statins touted on various TV news shows as some great cure all and that nearly everyone should take them.

[madmax]

60. Yes, I'm having a lot of short term memory problems at

61 and and getting a little sick and tired of people telling me it's 'old timer's' or other bullshit remarks. It's since this damn Simvisatin. I had a mind like a steel trap. Now I can't remember common everyday utensils, the name of a mega start. It's not 'senior moments' - it's Big pharma's poison!

I'm going to give the CoQ10 a whirl and see what happens.

[get the red out]

68. I'm 46 and my sister is 37

We don't consider ourselves "seniors" yet. I have experiences like someone coming into our office at work that I have talked to a thousand times on the phone and in person and can't remember his name, so embarrassing. I can't remember utensil names either, and keep calling scallops "croutons", of all things. It's a running joke with my husband, I just go ahead and ask him if he wants me to buy some "croutons" at the store for dinner.

I did not have this problem prior to the medication, I need to talk to my Dr.

[madmax]

72. Yes, do that. Hopefully we can either get off some of

these chemicals or cut the dosage down. I'm so tired of it. :hug:

[BobbyBoring]

32. What's this OP about??

I'm going to see about getting off Lipitor. I might have to cut down to 1 pizza a day but I guess that's worth it~

[harun]

55. I've ran in to poblems with two different statin's

[cliffordu]

3. I dunno - the brain is bathed in cholesterol, isn't it??

reduce that and it MIGHT have something to do with it......

[crazylikafox]

16. good point

[KurtNYC]

44. DIng! +1

The body produces cholesterol because it essential in neurological functions. Lots of other research says statins aren't worth the downside. Some even say cholesterol levels DON'T correlate with heart attacks at all.

Cholesterol-Reducing Drugs May Lessen Brain Function, Says Researcher 2/2009 Iowa State Univ
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090223221430.htm


Insulin Shortage Reduces Cholesterol Synthesis, Impairs Brain Function
http://jaxmice.jax.org/news/2010/DiabInsChol.html

from that article:

Cholesterol shortage impairs brain function

The brain is the most cholesterol-rich organ in the body, containing about 25% of the body's cholesterol. Virtually all that cholesterol is produced within the brain itself. It is a crucial component of synaptic structure and function. Kahn and his team suspected that reduced cholesterol synthesis interferes with brain synapses. Indeed, they found that the cholesterol content of synaptosomal membranes in the brains of mice with STZ-induced diabetes is abnormally low. In analyzing the synaptosomal cholesterol content and the expression patterns of cholesterol synthesis-regulating genes in the cerebral cortices of 16 elderly people, they found strong evidence that the factors that control cholesterol synthesis also control synaptosomal cholesterol. Additionally, they found that silencing Srepf2 reduces the number of synaptic markers in cultured mouse hypothalamic neurons.

[BadgerKid]

48. +2. I was going to point that out.

Though I thought the statins were supposed to interfere with de novo cholesterol synthesis. Gotta wonder now if perhaps statins actually contribute to depletion of cholesterol. Maybe there's such a thing as "cholesterol turnover" (analogous to muscle turnover) that would give statins a way to put their "foot in the door" for pulling cholesterol out of the body. Scary fascinating.

[Horse with no Name]

4. That is really odd.

Because when I was taking my statin medicine regularly, memory was an issue with me as well.

My mom took care of a patient that had some kind of REALLY bizarre reaction to Crestor. Left her completely disabled. She was 45 and now cannot walk, talk or function alone. I quit taking mine.

[madmax]

8. I'm going to quit too.

Just had an echo cardiogram and a stress test. Just a tad atherosclerosis so I'm going to investigate my alternatives. Diet changes would help - maybe. My Dr. said, some people diet alone will work. Me, not so much - hereditary but, my Mom lived to 92.

[arikara]

22. Crestor is the strongest one

and the one that they push the most. Cardiologists tried putting the Mr on it, after he'd already developed the muscle aches from Lipitor, they refuse to believe that there are any side effects from it. Thankfully he has a reasonable GP. Read the article on my post lower down, it will give you more info on this dangerous drug.

[Hannah Bell]

31. that's not such a bizarre reaction; statins can damage muscle tissue -- which includes all muscles

including e.g. heart muscle -- & affect cell mitochondria.

[Peregrine Took]

6. Thanks for posting. This is very relevant in my family right now. n/t

[notadmblnd]

7. My husband never like taking it. Said it bothered him in his groin

But after his last heart surgery before he died. I thought he wasn't getting enough oxygen to his brain and attributed that to his forgetfulness and confusion. I wonder now, just how much more the lipitor was a cause?

[rfranklin]

33. I take them, but not through that orifice...

by mouth is easier.

[notadmblnd]

35. he didn't take it via suppository

[Juche]

69. nm

[Demeter]

9. Considering the state of my memory when not on drugs

I'd better write myself a note NOT to get on this crap.

[golddigger]

12. Never mind. I forgot what I was going to say.

[Mumble]

14. I'm confused. Were are my damn pills.

[oldhippydude]

19. know what you mean..

cant remember what statin I'm taking...

[DeSwiss]

18. Damn. - K&R n/t

[arikara]

20. Memory loss is a well known yet downplayed side-effect

of statins. The muscle problems are downplayed as well. The benefits of statins are overstated, there is a very small percentage of people that they actually help, every one else is taking them for no reason other than that the pharmaceutical companies market "research" has been remarkably successful. I gave the following article to my Mr's GP, he actually read it and it meant something to him because he used to do some research himself.


http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_04/b4068052092994.htm?chan=rss_topStories_ssi_5

...the drugs can be life-saving in patients who already have suffered heart attacks, somewhat reducing the chances of a recurrence that could lead to an early death. But Wright had a surprise when he looked at the data for the majority of patients, like Winn, who don't have heart disease. He found no benefit in people over the age of 65, no matter how much their cholesterol declines, and no benefit in women of any age. He did see a small reduction in the number of heart attacks for middle-aged men taking statins in clinical trials. But even for these men, there was no overall reduction in total deaths or illnesses requiring hospitalization—despite big reductions in "bad" cholesterol. "Most people are taking something with no chance of benefit and a risk of harm," ...

...for every 100 people in the trial, which lasted 3 1/3 years, three people on placebos and two people on Lipitor had heart attacks. The difference credited to the drug? One fewer heart attack per 100 people. So to spare one person a heart attack, 100 people had to take Lipitor for more than three years. The other 99 got no measurable benefit. Or to put it in terms of a little-known but useful statistic, the number needed to treat (or NNT) for one person to benefit is 100. ...

[ellenfl]

21. kick for later. eom

[OwnedByFerrets]

26. Instead of big pharma statin pills......

I began taking Red Yeast Rice and fish oil pills last July. My cholesterol has gone from 230 to 180 since then.:party:

[harun]

56. How much fish oil you take per day?

[OwnedByFerrets]

62. 1200 mg

I searched long and hard to find the best I could afford and this is what I came up with...http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RL8FDO?ie=UTF8&redirect=true
There is a better brand that comes from Australia, but I couldnt really afford to get it.

[Locrian]

27. cholesterol is the latest poster child for big pharma to make $$$$

Cholesterol is the latest poster child for big pharma to make $$$$. And there is information out there that doesn't support their level of drug pushing.


http://www.thatsfit.com/2011/02/07/what-the-usda-dietary-guidelines-got-wrong/

http://books.google.com/books?id=U1Ju61Vgd8AC&pg=PA206&lpg=PA206&dq=cholesterol+fluffy+molecules&source=bl&ots=fmdqOW82-a&sig=GBPnOCmU8mizOGH7ZcMJKawnqVY&hl=en&ei=j46oTYGUGMmx0QHJg6n6CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=cholesterol%20fluffy%20molecules&f=false

http://www.nemechekconsultativemedicine.com/?page_id=1359

Higher cholesterol is not the same as higher risk of heart attacks or dying.

Further, the report still uses the old division of "good" and "bad" cholesterol, despite the fact that we now know there are multiple sub-types of both HDL (so called "good" cholesterol) and LDL (so called "bad cholesterol).

Substantial research shows that it is the type of LDL -- not the total amount -- that matters. Small particle LDL is bad; large particle LDL is harmless. Saturated fat may raise LDL but it tends to have a beneficial effect on particle type, meaning it raises the "good" kind of "bad cholesterol" (large fluffy molecules), not the "bad" kind of "bad cholesterol" (small dense bb gun pellets). And in any event, research has shown that cholesterol is a lousy predictor of heart disease. Half of all heart attacks happen to people with normal cholesterol, and half the people with "elevated" cholesterol are fit and healthy as the proverbial fiddle.

The report recommends lowering our dietary intake of cholesterol. This piece of advice is so past its expiration date that I never expected to see it again, even in as conservative a document as the dietary guidelines, but there it is.

Let's repeat: The liver makes most of the cholesterol in your body. Eat less, and your body makes more. Eat more, your body makes less. And for 99 percent of the population, dietary cholesterol has virtually no effect on blood cholesterol. This recommendation is just going to make people continue to fear egg yolks, a big mistake since they are incredibly rich in nutrients (like choline, lutein and zeaxnthin and make the protein of the whites more bio-available.

[louslobbs]

29. Took Lipitor for a year, the memory issues were minor for me, although they did exist, but the

muscle pain got to where I couldn't get out of bed one day. I called my GP and he immediately ordered me to stop taking the drug. This muscle pain, was getting progressively worse through the year, but I never mentioned it to my GP, because I convinced myself, that it was caused by my weight lifting and the build up of lactic acid, since most of the serious pain occurred after working out with weights or running.

I also attributed it to getting older and my body changing (all excuses in my mind) to not have to go to the doctor and maybe find out something worse. It was the old ("if I don't know it, it doesn't exist") conversation in my mind.

Turns out, it was the medication, and once it was discontinued, my memory got back to normal and little by little, after about 4 weeks, the severe muscle pains went away. My doctor has since kept me off the drug and because of my improved eating habits, my cholesterol levels, good and bad, are right within the values expected.

Some people experience mild muscle pain or knee pain, but if it gets really bad, please don't be like me, and see or call your GP asap and if you are having memory problems after starting the meds, do the same as well.

After this experience, I no longer take my usual good health for granted and have a more open relationship with my doctor. I don't sit around and self diagnose, or ignore my body's warnings that something might be wrong anymore and neither should anyone who has access to a doctor or emergency room.

I used to make any excuse not to go to the doctor, but I'm 40 now and that is no longer an option, it shouldn't have been an option in the first place. If we can possibly prevent something more seriously from happening, simply by paying attention to the warnings our body's give us and seeing a doctor, it saves us from suffering, and the potential for more serious and costly medical intervention at a later date. I wish everyone, good health.
Lou

[highplainsdem]

30. See Spacedoc.net, a site about statins set up by a former astronaut and physician:

http://www.spacedoc.net/

Wikipedia article on him:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duane_Graveline

[bananas]

53. Yes - there's also been some great interviews with him

on "The People's Pharmacy" radio show.
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/build/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&limit=20&search=Graveline

[Bigmack]

37. Anybody know what the cardiologists say about this? nt

[Rex]

43. GREAT. I take that stuff for...for

shit...what do I take it for again? Can I class action lawsuit it to death? I'm so broke I can't even pay attention anymore.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

46. My brother the doctor was prescribed them after he had his heart attack

Since his tendency is to go for non-pharmaceutical, non-surgical remedies FIRST, he read up on them, decided to stop taking them, and found other ways to control his cholesterol.

[Peace Patriot]

47. Here's my Lipitor/simvastatin/CoQ10 story and some links.

Short and sweet: On Lipitor and later simvastatin (20 mg/day), I developed EXTREMELY painful leg and feet cramps in bed at night, so bad I couldn't sleep. Only a half hour of walking around (couldn't sit, couldn't lie down) and aspirin calmed it down. I happened upon the advice, on the internet, to take CoQ10 with the statin. Started doing so. No more leg/feet cramps. Gone!

Just did a bit more research and sent an alert out to my family: If you take statins, TAKE CoQ10 WITH IT. PLEASE!

I'm not ready to tell anybody to get off statins. I am not qualified to give that advice. And I understand the fears around high cholesterol. Maybe it's a Big Pharma buggaboo, maybe not. But IF you're going to take a statin drug YOU MUST TAKE CoQ10 with it. The reason is this: CoQ10 is a natural substance that your body makes that, among other things, sends energy to your muscles. Statin drugs destroy this CoQ10. You need to supplement it.

CoQ10 is like Vitamin C in that you can't OD on it. Your body will excrete what you don't need. There are no side effects with CoQ10. I take 60 mg CoQ10 with 20mg of simvastatin/per day. That solved my cramps problem. I also take Fish Oil or straightup Omega 3s. (I'm pretty sure the latter are helpful as to memory and intellectual energy/alertness as well as physical energy). Some activists/experts say take 200 mg of CoQ10, if you take a statin drug. A few people take 1000 mg. And some people take CoQ10 instead of a statin.

Anyway, here are some information sites:

The Peoples Pharmacy blog:
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2007/09/12/can-statins-cau/
(This site is very anti-statin but it's full of info and lots of personal stories.)

A more neutral article (informative but wrong about the % of people affected):
http://www.nutritionexpress.com/article+index/health+conditions/heart+health/showarticle.aspx?articleid=262

For those who want to get deeper into the subject: (The first article
also discusses the need for a L-carnitine supplement to reverse statin
damage and for anyone on a vegetarian diet.)

http://www.spacedoc.net/stephen_sinatra_3
http://www.spacedoc.net/

(A political note: Among the Peoples Pharmacy blog posts there is one woman who did research on Merck corp., back in the 1980s, which did a study saying that people need to take CoQ10 with statin drugs, to replace their CoQ10. Merck patented a pill combining the two, but never manufactured it, so now nobody else can manufacture it. Another example of how "private property rights"/predatory capitalism/the "free market" can harm people. I'm for a FAIR marketplace with no monopolies and strong government regulation as to health, safety and the environment and other common good values. No reason we can't have capitalism--people pooling money to get something done--but, criminy! we DON'T need this Corporate Monster we have on our backs right now! Corps literally destroying Planet Earth, poisoning us all, lying, controlling our government, writing our laws, stealing our elections with 'TRADE SECRET' voting machines, killing tens of thousands of people in corporate resource wars, war profiteering and killing democracy!)

[bbgrunt]

52. thanks for those helpful links.

[Juche]

66. Statins block the enzyme your body needs to manufacture coenzyme q10

The enzyme your body uses to make cholesterol is also used to make Coq10.

[azul]

51. The truth will come out someday,

maybe when all statins are off patent.

The key to figuring out the statin memory loss effect, IMO, is that the neurons are set-up to be energized by glia-supplied lactose, because oxygen energy metabolism is too dangerous in there. Quality triglicerides need to get into the blood-brain barrier for synthesis of massive amounts of cholesterol necessary for neuron functions. A low-fat diet taken along with statins does a double-whammy on blocking cholesterol synthesis in glia and neurons where metabolism is restricted to anaerobic energy production to protect neurons from oxidative damage.

This effect may be somewhat masked, or the metabolic trail befuddled, by the statins' anti-inflammatory properties which might slow the damage done in brains.

I think it is at least 50% of Americans over 55 are taking statins.

[crim son]

54. My ex-husband had two heart attacks in his late thirties and we discovered

that his cholesterol was a terrifying 300+ (can't remember the number, just that it was over 300). He is anti meds so we radically changed our lifestyle from pretty healthy to almost vegetarian, next to zero fat daily and mountains of vegetables, and he began to exercise daily. The effect of our efforts were negligible and finally he agreed to go on Lipitor which brought his numbers down dramatically and very quickly. He didn't complain of side effects but I noticed he had issues with his memory that he hadn't before and it bothered me/sometimes drove me crazy. Eighteen years later and he still takes it and his memory for so-called nonessentials is appalling. Still manages to teach graduate physics level classes at the university, though.

[flvegan]

70. Statins, or...one could try veganism.

I know, I know...the dreaded and hateful "v" word. Just sayin' Really a shame more doctors know shit-all (or don't share info w/patients) about nutrition.

:hide:

[Abq_Sarah]

73. Or, one could try

Low carb...

[mitchtv]

71. I just stopped taking them

after a few months on any of most that I have tried, I began to feel very, very weak, and anything requiring exercise became painful, I felt I was dying slowly ,plus the leg cramps (I didn't suspect statins here) plus my short term memory was getting soooo bad. I had some gardening to do, so I quit, so I could get some work done